A sad farewell to Mo'Joe

It’s a sad day for me.. My favorite little café by my office has closed. I have blogged twice in the past few months about Mo’s and their food Here and then again Here. It was the ONE place by my office I could count on for a good, hearty (and wallet friendly) meal, from their amazing breakfast specials, their absolutely unbelievable burgers and impressive cupcake selection down to their fantastic hot chocolate.

Really, I’m crushed.

Mo’s didn’t close because there was a disaster like a fire or something like that.. They closed due to a feud between the owners, as stated by a letter that is posted on the inside of their front door. I was very saddened when I stopped to pick up breakfast this morning only to find a crowd of people reading the letter posted inside the front door. The inside has been partially gutted, the tables all removed.. It’s a very sad day for me.

I will go and take some pictures later.. But it is a real shame that it’s come down to this. Mo’s was a fixture here in Mineola where you could count on great food, friendly people and great service with a smile every single day.

Shame on the owners for letting this happen. Mo’Joe will be truly missed.

I stopped bye at Lunchtime and took some pics.. there was another crowd reading the notes just like this morning.. I wonder if the owners truly realize how many loyal customers they had.





my letter to Mo's:

March 11, 2010

Dear Mo’Joe,
I am very sad to see you have closed your doors. I was a regular patron of your establishment and I was very disheartened to come bye for breakfast this morning only to find that “Mo’joe is No’mo”. I had previously blogged about your wonderful establishment, the first time with absolute Glee that you were the only place in the entire neighborhood that not only made cupcakes, but made absolutely outstanding cupcakes, not to mention the incredible food that was prepared by the cooks in your kitchen.

I will miss the funky atmosphere and your outstanding staff at Moe’s, I will miss being able to grab a great Mo’s breakfast special at any time of day, the best hamburger I’ve ever had and the ability to grab a cupcake on a whim. Mineola is NOT known for it’s great Eateries.. Mo’s was on it’s way to do just that.

Enclosed find copies of the posts on my blog that I had previously made about the great experiences I have had at Mo’s along with the solemn post that I made this morning when I discovered that Mo’s was closed for good.

It’s really a great shame to see Mo’s close and I know I share this with the many patrons who have stopped to read the notes posted on the front door within the past few days.

Very truly yours,


Ashley.

Paula Deen Mixing Bowl Giveaway

Before I get started on the details of this giveaway I wanted to share some great news with you guys. If you follow me on Twitter you know that my sister is expecting any day now.. What you don’t know that my cousin (who is as close to me as a sister) is also expecting her first baby in August. Just when I’m done with one baby shower I find myself planning yet another one. I have been to all the usual sites and then I came across this one for Kids bedding, cribs and all the nursery furniture you need for a newborn.

My cousin got and her husband recently moved into a new apartment and for Christmas I had bought her some kitchen essentials and I really wish I had seen these bowls before I bought her the ones I did because these are great, no worries about dropping them and breaking or leaving them on the stovetop and melting them (yes, I’ve done that before, I’m not proud of it.. But damn those stupid plastic bowls, lol)

These are the bowls that I'm giving away:

Paula Deen 2 Piece Enamel on Steel Mixing Bowl Set in Blue

Features:

• Includes: 1.5 Qt. and 3 Qt. mixing bowls
• Enamel on steel porcelain exterior
• Blue speckled porcelain is attractive, durable, stain resistant, and a breeze to clean
• Stainless steel rims protect the bowls against chipping while stacking and storing

As many of you know I'm planning on moving as soon as I find a suitable apartment within my means and I will definitely be getting a set of these for myself as soon as I have myself situated in a kitchen bigger than a pantry.

This contest will run from today until March 21 and all you have to do is leave a comment, if you follow me on Twitter go ahead and Tweet about the giveaway leaving the hashtag #PaulaDeenGiveaway for an extra entry. Limit 1 comment and 1 tweet per day.

mushroom Swiss stuffed burgers

Ya know when you just want a hamburger.. Nothing fancy, but you want to do something special to make it just.. WOW.. This recipe makes 2 burgers and a little extra stuffing.

Sunday it was So incredibly gorgeous here in NY.. After taking the kid to the movies to see Alice in Wonderland we took a trip to the supermarket (and OMG there were girlscouts selling cookies.. I got a box of Samoas! I haven’t had them in such a long time.) I had in my brain Lasagne.. So I purchased everything I needed and then on the drive home.. There it was.. The smell of a charcoal grill and my whole mindset changed.. I wanted a hamburger.

I ran through the things I had in my fridge.. And it was set.

Hamburgers stuffed with sauteed onions mushrooms and Swiss cheese on toasted Italian bread (I’m not a big fan of pre packaged Hamburger buns, I like to make them myself with this Recipe here)


1 package sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
1Tbs canola oil
½ tsp sea salt
Sauteè until the onions are golden brown and the mushrooms are soft, about 10 minutes on med-low heat and then add ½ cup shredded Swiss cheese to the mix until it is melted and combined.

Then take ½ lb ground beef (you can also use ground turkey) into patties and push your finger into the center through the sides to make a pocket and with a teaspoon I add 2 teaspoons of the mix into each burger and seal the pocket closed.

I cooked these on the George Foreman grill and they were fantastic. They looked a little boring, but they were so good.. And The kid was sure surprised when he took his first bite.

One Year. One Billion Bags.

Crock pot comfort food: Sauerbraten

I don’t know about you all.. But I’ve had enough of this winter already. We had almost a foot and a half of snow on Wednesday and schools were closed Wednesday and Thursday (and lemme tell y’all schools around here aren’t too quick to give out snow days) I haven’t seen this much snow in one day since I was a kid and after a day of looking at it I’ve had enough.

But this cold, nasty weather makes me long for comfort food, the past few days I’ve been craving a heaping bowl of sauerbraten with big fat egg noodles like my grandma used to make.. Just the smell has me 6 years old again standing in my grandma’s kitchen stirring the pot of stew.. Mmm!

If you’ve never had sauerbraten, you must try it because it’s absolutely wonderful! This recipe uses the crock pot, but you can easily make it on the stove top.


Ingredients

2 lbs beef stew meat, 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion (2 medium)
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 dried bay leaves
6 cups uncooked medium egg noodles (12 oz.)
3/4 cup crushed gingersnap cookies (about 15)
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. In 3-1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker, mix beef, onions, broth, vinegar and bay leaves.

2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 9 hours
.
3. About 15 minutes before serving, cook noodles as directed on package. Remove bay leaves from beef mixture. Stir in crushed cookies and brown sugar.

4. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 15 minutes longer or until mixture is bubbly and thickened. Serve beef mixture over noodles, sprinkle with parsley.